STOKE came within a whisker of European glory as they nearly fl oored Dynamo Kiev in their own backyard.

Cameron Jerome’s 55th-minute debut goal looked like being enough to clinch a memorable victory, until the visitors suffered a stoppage-time stunner, as Ognjen Vukojevic blasted an unstoppable shot into the roof of the net from close range.

But Stoke manager Tony Pulis had every reason to be proud of his side’s resolute – and at times downright dogged – performance. He said: “Whenever anybody scores so late on it’s disappointing, but overall it was an outstanding effort from my players.

“It was a tough game for us because this side have some excellent players. But I couldn’t be happier with the way that we performed.

“In the overall picture, it was a tremendous display because we came so close to winning it.”